Love One Another?

Our Pastor has encoured us to participate in a worship feast - fasting from secular music and influences and replacing it with some form of worship. As a result, I have limited my tv watching to the morning news. Not the most uplifting programing in the world. A few of the headlines I heard

*Updates on some kind of high school hazing gone bad.

*A report on a mother who is being accused of getting overly aggressive at her child's baseball game

*The bombing in Saudi Arabia

*Democratic Politicians in Texas walk out in protest over a rezoning proposition

Now, I am sure that you have all heard these headlines and more. I am equally sure that some of them are sensationalized by the media. But it disturbes me just the same. Our preteens (at church) have been studying the 10 commandments and all of our children are learning Matthew 22:37-39. We have discussed how those 2 commandments (love the Lord your God . . . and love your neighbor as yourself) sum up the rest of the law. As I listen to these stories, my heart mourns. How many of us who are Christians can truly say that in all we do we put God first, giving Him everything that we have and that we are loving our neighbor as ourselves. Philippians chapter 2 tells us that we should do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than ourselves. Each one should look not only to their own interests, but also to the interests of others. It goes on to remind us that our attitude should be like that of Jesus Christ. What follows is heavy. Some call it the kenosis passage. It describes how - well, check it out - "who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking on the very nature of a servant." It goes on, but you get the point. God, Himself gave us the example of putting others first by making himself nothing and being obedient to death, even death on a cross.

I know that I fall short on following that example, but watching the news this morning challenged me. If you think about it, I think you will realize that when someone sacrifices something - even something small - for your benefit, it makes an impact. More of an impact than words ever could. I wonder how much we could impact our world if we consciously practiced putting others first on a daily basis. How long would it take for us to see lives changed? Do you think it would be possible to change the world enough to change the "taste" of the news headlines??

Thanks for listening to my ramblings - I now have to run to work!

Blessings!
Jeannie Hughes
"I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness for sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me." Acts 26:18